Whew! One thing we can all agree on is that we are happy to see the end of this toxic election cycle. No matter whether our candidate was victorious or not, we now have a chance to renew our spirits.

Laughter is non-partisan, it has no race, creed or color. Well, I have seen quite a few red faces after the shows, but I think you get the meaning. Bottom line is, If you need to mend some wounds after (perhaps), a hurtful de-friend on Facebook please join our laughter movement. Go to laughterheals.org and check out how you can get involved, and of course you can view my schedule to see if and when I am touring in your area. I have a lot of stories and fresh material to share. And I promise it’s not political! Besides, considering the skin tone you can only see on Sherwin-Williams color chart, and the hair that appears to have once been road kill, sometimes it's too easy to joke about the obvious. Ooops. I guess i just slipped. That's the last, I swear!

Also, if you’re a business or a group is in need of levity please let us know if you would like me to assist. I have been doing keynote speaking for many corporations, helping people transform by breaking down barriers that prevent happiness, good health, and success.

On November 30th I am teaming up with an amazing speaker/coach Sean Smith, and we will be conducting a 3-hour workshop for couples called, “Laugh Out Love.” Go to our website for information, there is limited space and it will sell out fast. Really looking forward to a night of fun & frolic!

FALL

Fall sure is beautiful, but not when the fall is a middle-aged man taking a face plant. Although the bruises changing color are quite a sight to behold.

Was recently invited into The Association of Transformational Leaders. Just returned from an ATL weekend autumn retreat in beautiful Lake Arrowhead. Got to dance like a mad man, play games and sing around a campfire. This is my kind of transformation!

Speaking of personal growth, if you haven’t seen “Tony Robbins, I’m Not Your Guru” on Netflix, check it out. As happens often in my wide world, I watched it and really felt an urge to connect with Tony again. One day later, BOOM! We are exchanging emails and he invited me to his “Unleash the Power Within” event in San Jose.

Taking my oldest son, Justin, with me for that special weekend. He and I are closer than ever, even though I was often told an eighteen-year-old would want nothing to do with me. We’ve been doing a Facebook Live show together. Nothing formal or even promoted, but the response has been amazing. 150 thousand saw the first one. We now buttoned up a few things and will launch in a more “official” way on Wednesday, Oct 19th, 4pm PST. For my Philly math majors, that’s 7 o’clock at night.

The show is now called “What Up, Dad?” and is a live webcast from the Shoemaker living room. It will then be available in podcast form on iTunes too. If you’re not there already, please LIKE the Craig Shoemaker fan page on Facebook, so you can view or take part in the show or see it later. We talk family, sports, music, pop culture…anything you ask for. But be warned, if you are over 40, Justin can be quite a ball buster. He opened the last show by saying, “Facebook is for OLD people!” Hashtag, LetsCrushHim

The standup touring schedule is filling fast, including holiday parties. If you want to add some funny spice to your frankincense & myrrh, contact us ASAP. Check the calendar pageon my site for details on other gigs. If I’m not booked in your hood or nearby, it is usually a matter of numbers. Yeah, if the demand isn’t there, it’s like selling cigarettes at a cancer ward. So, if you do have a large group of friends who would like to laugh with (and at) me, please request me at your local venue. A lot. If I can’t get there by performance, then let’s get there by annoyance!

Laughter IS the Best Medicine...

If you're not watching America's Got Talent, please check out the finals. My dear friend Jon “Magic Man” Dorenbos made it! More than that, Jon is on top of the people heap. If you're looking for personal inspiration, here's your guide. Now America is discovering the depth of his being, along with being blown away by his stellar magical skills.

One reason we have become close is that he's just the way I like my friends - a little nuts, very loving, compassionate and creative. Of course, FUNNY. I dig the way he approaches the rough parts of life too - with integrity, character and resolve. Plus, he plays football for my Philadelphia Eagles!

Jon resonates with a personal chosen mission as well, to raise awareness of the amazing effects laughter has on the mind, body and soul. Jon jumped right on board, and is literally now on the board of Laughter Heals, a non-profit created when one of my other best friends was diagnosed with brain cancer years ago. That amazing amigo, Michael Goldberg, also had a huge passion for all Philly teams, especially our beloved Birds. I think love, with healthy doses of giggles, kept him alive WELL past the doctor's grim prognosis. When Golds passed away he was buried in his favorite Eagles jersey, just the way he would want it. I wish Golds was around to be a part of the Dorenbos road to joy and ride along with us. Actually, he probably is...

Laughter Heals is going big. The movement's roots are tied to an old friend and now attached to a new one. #46 and I have been on the stage together many times since we met. How generous he was to come to my old home town for a benefit we produced for a close childhood pal, Rob Horner, who died from lung cancer. Jon was also an awesome, perfect addition to our Enlightened UP weekend retreat this past March, and we're now developing a stage show called "The Magic of Laughter," an entertaining, funny show, with the added intention of assisting others in managing pain when it seems insurmountable.

Now, watch next Tuesday on NBC and vote for Jon Dorenbos!

Please visit our Laughterheals.org site. Obviously, we can use your support. Melissa Emmendorfer came up with a fun idea to raise funds for Laughter Heals. Check out her story below & see how you can help!

Summer Salutations!

Taking my sons to the Jersey Shore, the place where 99 percent of Philadelphians go on family vacation. All four Shoe kids have followed in Dad’s flip-flops and truly love the whole back east vibe. Actually, weekend visitors to the resort towns are called “Shoobies,” a term I didn’t like, since I am sometimes nicknamed with the same moniker. The insult tag originated decades ago, a reaction the locals had when sudden surges of tacky beach visitors stormed the quiet towns, carrying their valuables in shoeboxes.

Like a good cheese steak, our family trips back east are “Everything With,” taking in the entirety of homeland sights, sounds and smells of the place where I grew up. Although raised in the LA area, our oldest son Justin really dives into the entire atmosphere with zest, and has adopted The Philadelphia Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, Flyers as his pro sports teams, with his younger siblings following his lead. Considering recent Philly teams, I might get a call from a human rights organization for putting these children through such torture.

Whenever we rent a place in Ocean City or Avalon NJ, inevitably we hear from the locals, with their patented accent and blunt, East Coast atty-tood, “You brought your family here all the way from Callyfornya? Are you outta yer mind? What, you don’t got no oceans out there in LaLa-Land?” Well, yes, we do have a Pacific version where we live, but like the general nature, history and food in So Cal, it all seems to be a bit “Sodium Free.” The incomparable, sassy, salty dogs came to the US on the east coast in the bowels of a ship, not Virgin Air. These nuts have a shell and the characters have character. You gotta work hard for everything in life in the city best known for a cracked bell. I never heard the word “career” till I arrived in Los Angeles. It’s a job, bro, and you begin jobbing at twelve. Any later than that and you’re lazy, a bum, not homeless. It’s a wonder they even dropped the term “Hobo.” Evolution takes a few extra revolutions in these parts.

There is no particular sound or way of speech on the west coast, but if you go to my homeland, the inimitable words and phrases that come out of their mouths makes you desire a translator. It’s so unusual, no film or TV actor that has even attempted the dialect. Even the great Robert Deniro wouldn’t dare to try in “Silver Linings Playbook,” as he New Yorked his way through the entire performance. Bobby, we swim in wooder, not wawtah. Jeet? No, djoo? Transcribed into English that's "Did you eat? No, did you?"

One great part about the Philadelphia upbringing is that the sense of humor gets honed to a machete-maker’s specs. The sharp wit still brought to the standup stage derives from growing up in that culture, resulting in a working class drive of a competitive athlete to score laughs. To give you an idea of the gamesmanship and will to win, if you lost at a street game in the City of Brotherly Love, you’d line up facing a brick wall, bend over and wince, as the winning opponent celebrated victory by throwing a ball as fast as he could at your rear end. It’s called “Ass Ball.” So, every comedy performance I've ever done is full tilt, hoping you don’t hurl a ball at my ass if I fail.

One other core component from the roots is the loyalty regarding friendships. I still have the same (great) accountant for 30 years, Frank Cassidy. We went to Elwood Elementary School Kindergarten and were in the same class. I guess it’s easier to trust a guy once you’ve shared a cot and a milk together. Still never miss the best pizza on the planet at Pizza City, family-owned by Tony Iaquinto since we were boys. Rob “Steiny” Steinberg you all know from my act, and his cadence is still used with our old gang when we get together. Sixers play-by-play guy, and now Olympic announcer, Marc Zumoff, opens up his home to my wife, kids and me. And my best friend brother still remains Dave Cerami, who competed with me in eighth grade for class clown. By the way, he won. So if you laugh at me, you can thank him for handing me his comedy scepter.

There are also many other long term relationships developed along the life path, which are cherished and valued. One bonded friendship of the past several years is with Eagles veteran Pro Bowler, Jon Dorenbos. We’re true kindred spirits, with similar take on how to deal with life’s tough times. He just joined our Laughter Heals Organization, a non-profit organization that helps people get better from whatever ails ‘em by adding more laughs. Jon is also a master magician. You might have seen his stud appearance on America’s Got Talent, where he made Simon "Scowl" turn into Simon "HOW DID HE DO THAT," as Jon blew all four judges away. He's the real deal. Last year, I held a benefit to honor my childhood buddy Rob Horner, and Jon was right there in a snap to help out. This year, I get to perform with him in Atlantic City at the Borgata on July 10th. It’s “Comedy for a Cause, organized by Tim Mooney, one of Jon’s best buds. I hope you can be there to laugh and raise money for at-risk youth. We truly get when we truly give.

Another amigo of twenty years is Philly broadcaster, Leslie Gudel. We were lucky to have she and her family stay with us when they were passing through town. Good people. Amazing kids. Unfortunately though, her 12-year-old daughter Kendall has a rare disorder, AVM. It has been a difficult journey, but this very special young lady approaches it with the grace and positive attitude of a highly transformed adult. I wish the rest of the world would approach life in the way she does! Please go to KendallsCrusade.org for details on the comedy show July 16th at Valley Forge Casino. And my pal Tony Luke of sandwich fame, whom I mentored and convinced to do comedy, is also doing a live set.

Ok, off we go. I hope you’re enjoying your summer and would love to hear your memories of what you love about your favorite summertime vacation spots.

Well, well. Long time no chat. Yes, I have been out of touch, with nary a Shoe's Letter or even a shoe lace in your inbox. But alas I am back, bringing you all the shoe that's fit to print.

Let's cut to it like a circumcision mohel on Red Bull...

We all need help for our issues, right? After countless sessions and working on self-awareness and growth, it appears I am probably on the good side of personal development. However, there is one area where I need help, in a big way – social media. So, I hired a “digital therapist”. Oniracom will now assist me in my communication skills, including a new website. Considering how far behind I am, I might wear a hole in my therapist’s couch!

I am excited to announce my new website has launched! We have exciting new information available, a new easy to use tour calendar, a place to share fan photos and information on speaking engagements. Speaking of speaking, I am also flattered to announce that I have been inducted into the ATL, (Association of Transformational Leaders), a group I am privileged to be a part of. So many exciting new things to share with all of you.

“Re” is an abbreviation meaning “regarding,” but is also a prefix is used to signify a return. We can rethink or reevaluate, leading to perhaps recognition of a core issue which may inspire rehabilitation.

Yes, this standup touring career is coming to a close. Over 10,000 nightclub shows and all that’s left is this Friday and Saturday at The Irvine Improv, and New Year’s Eve at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.

The stand-up touring is winding to a close December 31st, but this does not mean “retirement” from the creation of art that pleases all senses from a multitude of platforms, arenas and stages. Think of it as a re-boot. A Shoe redesign. Sole search. Lacing up for a new adventure to share with you.

What a cool, unexpected email I received last week. The famed Doctor Drew Pinsky sent me a note out of nowhere, letting me know he is reading, “LoveMaster’d” for the second time and it is bringing “new dividends” to him personally. Really dug receiving that email…

One of my closest friends passed away today. I do not want to reveal his name right now, because some do not know yet. I will certainly give him a memorial tribute when the time is right, but for now it’s simply a time for reflection.